According to the charge sheet, Innocent Mothonyana allegedly murdered Anthony Obed around 9pm on May 29, 2019, at Coloured. Mothonyana had on Tuesday admitted to murdering his father but proceedings took a different twist on Wednesday after Justice Taboka Mopipi asked him if he agreed to the facts after they were read to him. According to the summary of facts that were read to Mothonyana before he (Mothonyana) changed his plea from guilty to not guilty, the heinous incident happened after the accused told his mother who was sleeping with his father in their bedroom that he (Mothonyana) wanted to return his mother’s cellphone he had taken by mistake. Furthermore, according to the facts, Mothonyana’s mother went on to tell him to instead give the cell phone to his sister who was sleeping in another bedroom.
The accused persisted with his demand and knocked on the door of his parents’ bedroom saying that he wanted to give his mother her cell phone. The accused then proceeded to forcefully open the door of his parents’ bedroom. All hell broke loose afterwards. Mothonyana entered his parents’ bedroom and placed the phone he was holding on his parents’ bed. According to the facts, Mothonyana who was armed with a knife and machete then proceeded to stab his father with an Okapi knife multiple times and subsequently hacked at him with a machete several times. Mothonyana’s mother then ran out of the house but before she fled for her life, she heard Obed screaming in great agony asking Mothonyana why he was killing him.
